Venezuela Charges Ex-generals In 1989 Violence

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan prosecutors have brought criminal charges against two retired generals for their roles in violence during unrest in 1989, the attorney general said Tuesday.

The 1989 riots in Caracas, known as the "Caracazo," were triggered by a hike in gasoline prices and public transportation fares. The government said at least 300 people died, but some rights activists say hundreds more were killed - many of them shot by security forces struggling to re-establish order.

The retired generals Freddy Maya Cardona of the National Guard and Luis Fuentes Serra of the Caracas police were charged for their roles in some of the deaths, Attorney General Luis Ortega Diaz told reporters.

Maya was charged with being an accomplice in the killings of 10 people, while Fuentes was charged with being an accomplice in the killings of 21 people, the attorney general's office said in a statement.

Their cases bring to five the number of former officials facing charges for security forces' response to the unrest. None has been arrested.